Maine
Rural, remote, and on your own longer.
Maine's northern location and rural character create a simple equation: storms hit hard, power goes out, and help takes longer to arrive than anywhere in southern New England. The 1998 ice storm left parts of the state without electricity for three weeks. Self-sufficiency is not optional here.
Enter your Maine ZIP for live alerts, forecasts, and county-specific data.
Know your region
What you prepare for depends on where in Maine you live.
Northern and western Maine
Bangor, Presque Isle, Aroostook County, the western mountains. The coldest region in the eastern United States outside Alaska. Temperatures below minus 20 degrees F are routine. The 1998 ice storm devastated this region. Rural roads can be impassable for days.
Primary hazards: ice storms, extreme cold, heavy snow, flooding
Downeast and midcoast
Bar Harbor, Acadia, Ellsworth, Rockland, Camden. Coastal nor'easters bring storm surge and erosion. The 1947 fires burned 200,000 acres including much of Mount Desert Island. Fog, heavy seas, and coastal flooding are persistent maritime hazards.
Primary hazards: nor'easters, coastal flooding, wildfire, winter storms
Southern Maine
Portland, Lewiston, Augusta, Brunswick. The most populated region faces nor'easters, river flooding along the Kennebec and Androscoggin, and the occasional tropical remnant. Power outages from ice storms affect dense neighborhoods where old trees overhang power lines.
Primary hazards: nor'easters, flooding, ice storms, severe storms
Your hazard profile
5 hazards that apply to Maine.
Each links to a full guide with during-event protocol, recovery steps, and resources specific to ME.
Nor'easters and ice storms
The 1998 ice storm left large parts of Maine without power for three weeks. Nor'easters bring blizzard conditions, coastal flooding, and dangerous wind chill. Northern Maine receives the heaviest snowfall in the Northeast.
Read the nor'easters and ice storms guide →
Flooding
Coastal flooding from nor'easters and storm surge threatens shoreline communities. Spring snowmelt causes river flooding along the Penobscot, Kennebec, and Androscoggin. Flash flooding in steep terrain develops rapidly.
Read the flooding guide →
Severe thunderstorms
Summer thunderstorms bring damaging winds, hail, and occasional tornadoes. Maine's dense forest means one fallen tree can knock out power to an entire road. Lightning starts fires in dry conditions.
Read the severe thunderstorms guide →
Wildfires
The 1947 fires burned 200,000 acres including much of Acadia National Park. Modern fire risk is lower but spring conditions before green-up remain dangerous. Dry, windy April and May days create fire weather.
Read the wildfires guide →
Tropical storms
Direct hurricane hits are rare, but tropical remnants bring flooding rain and wind. Climate trends suggest increasing tropical impacts at northern latitudes. Lee (2023) brought tropical storm conditions to Downeast Maine.
Read the tropical storms guide →
Maine resources
The agencies and programs that cover your state.
Maine EMA
Maine Emergency Management Agency. Coordinates disaster response and runs the state's public alert and warning system.
NWS Gray
Southern and central Maine forecasts. Winter storm warnings, coastal flood advisories, and severe weather alerts for the most populated region of the state.
Central Maine Power Outages
Real-time outage tracking for the state's largest utility. During ice storms and nor'easters, this is where restoration timelines are posted.
Maine 2-1-1
Statewide information and referral. Energy assistance (LIHEAP), food banks, heating fuel assistance, and disaster recovery resources.
January 1998
Three weeks without power in January.
In January 1998, a catastrophic ice storm struck Maine. Freezing rain fell for days. The weight of ice snapped utility poles like toothpicks and collapsed transmission towers. Over 700,000 people across northern New England lost power. In Maine, some communities waited three weeks for restoration. In January.
Three weeks without power in a Maine January means no heat, no light, no water pumps, no communication. The people who survived comfortably were the people with wood stoves, a supply of firewood, stored water, and a pantry stocked for winter. The people who suffered were those who depended entirely on the grid.
For every Maine household, the ice storm question is basic: can you keep one room warm and your family fed for two weeks without electricity? If you heat with oil or propane, does the system require electricity to run? If you have a well, do you have stored water for when the pump stops? These are not hypothetical questions in Maine. They are the lesson of 1998.